Chapter 148: The whole truth
1275words
"I need to come clean to you about some things so you know the whole story."
"I'm listening," I whispered as I glared into the side of his head, studying him intently.
He sighed. "Brooke Saddle was the very first co-star I had ever been with. It was the scene that broke me into the industry. I had a huge crush on her. Christ, I was eighteen years old and had never done something like that before. Having sex with someone you've just met was exhilarating and I didn't know how to block out my feelings back then."
Hearing him confess that he had been with Brooke and had grown feelings for her made my heart thunder in my chest. He told me that he had never been with a co-star. Ever. Yet, he was telling me something so different now. I honestly didn't know what to do with this information. It hurt.
"I lied to you," he admitted, confirming my internal thoughts. "I told you that I had never been with a co-star before, but to be honest, I had completely forgotten about Brooke because at the end of the day, she meant nothing to me. It was a small fling that lasted a week, then I found out she was fucking my brother... her drug dealer. It was at that point that I made a pact to never date a co-star ever again. I went with the flow of things, fucked my way up the ladder, and stayed away from everyone. It wasn't until I met you that I realized a real woman even existed. You showed me that I could finally be happy without all the drama the adult film industry brought. I wanted something normal for the first time in my life."
I swallowed back the knot in my throat as I listened to his words. He was telling me the truth, but I didn't know what to do with all of it. It seemed that every time something went down, I learned something new about him.
"I want to hear everything, Drake. No more secrets. No more surprises."
He turned to me, staring into my eyes. "I'm ready to tell you anything you want to know."
"Is there anyone else I need to know about? Have you honestly had no before me?"
He shook his head. "Not a one. I wouldn't even say that the thing with Brooke was a relationship. All we did was fuck at her place before I went back to my own. We never went out to dinner and we never spoke of anything serious." He looked down at his hands. "I was just a fuck stick for her."
I pulled my bottom lip through my teeth as I reached over and cupped his face, forcing him to look at me. "You should know that I don't look at you like that, Drake. I see past the porn star and the man you are in bed." I placed my hand over his heart. "I see what's in here," I whispered, "and I love him."
Tears swam through his eyes as they flitted between mine. "I'll never forget the day you told me you loved me for the first time."
I let out a small chuckle as I cocked my head at him. "When was that?" I felt bad for not remembering myself.
He smirked. "We were dancing at that 1920s jazz bar before the paparazzi ruined everything. I took your hand and we made a run for it toward the beach. We made love to the sounds of the ocean and then you told me that you loved me."
Memories from that beautiful night swam through my mind now as I smiled at him. My heart melted in my chest, loving the fact that he remembered that.
"That was one of the best night's of my life. I can't believe you remember the first time I told you that I loved you."
He snorted. "Shit, how could I not remember something so meaningful to me? You're the first woman to ever say those words to me and mean them. You're the first woman I've ever let into my heart and my life, lynn. I don't ever want you to forget that. You are everything to me."
He grabbed my hands and pulled them to his lips, kissing them gently. I stared deeply into his eyes and knew that I could trust him with everything I had. Why couldn't I have seen this before? Dominick chose me, not someone else. He was sharing his life with me, not anyone else.
"What other firsts do you remember?" I whispered, feeling playful.
"Let's see..." He smirked. "Our first kiss was on the dancefloor in Miami when you refused to dance with me. Then you ran away when you realized how much you liked it."
I laughed. "I ran away from you because you intimidated the hell out of me."
"Same thing." He winked. "Our first time together was in Ibiza at your villa. I let you cum first, if you recall, and then I had my way with you as I watched your face contort and you came for a second time."
My cheeks flushed as I recalled that night. It was fucking incredible. "And what I remember is that you didn't cuddle afterwards. You didn't want to be touched."
He inhaled a deep breath as he nodded. "You intimidated the hell out of me, too, lynn."
"I remember the first time you finally cuddled with me, though," I said.
"Oh? I'm all ears." He laughed.
"We were on the yacht. I came to your room and found..." I pushed those memories from my mind. "Never mind who I saw." I waved my hand. "I was on the yacht deck looking out at the night sky when you joined me. You held me to your chest as we stared up at the stars. I had never been more nervous in my life."
"Mmm, I remember that well. That was also the night I asked you what this was between us. You told me it was just fun."
"That's all it was supposed to be," I whispered.
"You don't regret it, do you?"
His question tightened my chest. I straddled his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands dug into my thighs.
"No, Drake, I don't regret one second of us."
"Not even now?"
"Never."
His smile faded as he stared intently into my gaze. "I will never keep anything from you, lynn. To be fair, I was going to tell you all about Monique and Brooke this morning, but between Dakota and my family showing up, I didn't exactly have the time."
I gently nodded, knowing in my heart that he was telling me the truth. "I trust you. I promise not to do anything rash from here on out until I hear you out first."
"There shouldn't be anything to be rash about, lynn. Shit like this shouldn't be going down. Photos shouldn't be taken like that. And I promise not to put myself in a situation that could be used against me." He pulled me tighter to his chest. "I want you by my side always. Can you handle that? Ya know... to keep the Hyenas at bay?"
I laughed. "A Queen always protects her King." His smile lightly faded. "And a King should never put his Queen in a vulnerable position. Consider this my treaty."
"Accepted," I whispered. "Now let's figure out what to do with your lovely family and this Dakota fiasco so we can move on with our own Kingdom."
